Appendix

It had been an unusually long week. After three days of supervising the children as they sat their final exams, and then straight after into a three-day conference off planet with a temperamental three-year-old, I was exhausted.

While I wanted nothing more than to sleep during the sixteen-hour journey back to Vulcan, Spock made that impossible.

"Spock, Please. Mummy is really tired, please come and sit down."

"No!" the three-year-old wined, climbing off the sofa and running out of the sitting room to the second bedroom, where Sarek was drafting and sending his final report back to the Council members before our week's holiday began.

I sighed in frustration and exhaustion as I ran after the child. I watched Spock for sixty seconds as he was trying to reach the doorknob to the guest bedroom. Spock stood on his tip toes, but even with his persistence, his height remained his downfall.

"No, Spock." I told him gently in Vulcan, "Daddy is working."

When I scooped him up, he began to whine, and as I brought him back into the sitting room his whining turned into a full-blown tantrum. While Vulcan children didn't pop out of the womb reciting the Teaching of Surak, I must admit it was still a little odd seeing pointy eared child screaming and crying in the middle of the sitting room.

The slight dip in the ship told me that we were entering warp. I watched Spock kick and scream on the ground, his face green with anger and his cheeks stained with tears while I sat comfortably on the sofa with a cup of warm tea. I muffled a yawn and closed my eyes beginning to practice a relaxing technique Sarek had taught me years ago.

When my head fell to the side in sleep, I was jolted awake by another loud shriek from Spock. As the minutes passed my heart rate was still elevated and the more I continued to watch Spock, a dull, annoying, pain began to radiate through the right side of my stomach.

Spock ran over to me continuing to cry, nasal mucus running down his nose. I leaned forward and grabbed a tissue wiping his nose. He laid his head gently on my lap and put his thumb in his mouth. It was now so silent in the quarters you could hear a pin drop.

"Are you finished?" I asked after a moment.

But just when all seemed calm, Spock began to cry once more, but this time he climbed into my lap and laid his head in the crook of my neck.

"You will see your father soon." I told him, rocking him gently, which prompted more tears to fall down his cheeks and onto my neck.

I struggled to keep my eyes open. My body was tired, my mind was even more exhausted, I missed my bed so much I could have sworn I could smell the bedsheets. Ignoring the lingering pain in my side and my own exhaustion, I continued to rock Spock hoping and praying that soon he would sleep so I could.

Sarek was just as exhausted as I was. The conference was long and hard with the Tellar and Andoran Ambassadors constantly at each other's throats, nothing seemed to be getting done and Sarek was, not surprisingly, playing more of the peacemaker amongst the Ambassadors instead of the Chairman of the conference.

After five minutes of rocking, I sighed in relief to find that Spock finally fell asleep.

After a sixteen hour journey, we finally arrived home… at one o'clock in the morning. After putting an already sleeping Spock to bed, I couldn't wait to finally take a shower and lay down, but, much to my dismay and slight frustration Sarek insisted that we eat.

My appetite was shot and it was becoming hard to ignore this pain on my right side. What started off as a dull pain as we entered warp was beginning to worsen, but as I took a seat next to my equally exhausted husband I thought it best not to mention it, he never complained and I had felt as though I complained so much these days.

I muffled several yawns as I watched him replicate two bowls of Plomeek soup, but I only managed two bites of the thick liquid and a piece of bread before I started to feel warm…very warm.

"I think I'm going to go to bed." I announced softly. "I don't feel well."

"Very well. Will you be alright alone while I meditate?"

"Yes."

However, when I made my way to the bathroom, the pain in my side suddenly worsened and it began to feel like I was being stabbed. I felt my stomach grow bigger within half an hour and soon I found myself on the cold bathroom floor in front of the toilet beginning to sweat, and fighting nausea brought on from the debilitating pain.

Something wasn't right.

I opened my mouth in an attempt to call for Sarek, but I was blindsided with more pain which tipped the nausea overboard. Pulling myself up and over the toilet bowl to vomit proved to be more painful than laying down perfectly still and the heaving made the pain shoot from a nine to a thirteen.

The fluffy body of my cat, Ambassador, brushed against my back. I felt him lay down and occasionally brush his head against my back. I couldn't even reach back to pet him, it hurt too much.

I tried to call for Sarek, sensing through our bond that he was close by but when I tried to call for him only a small whisper poured from my lips.

"Sarek… Sar- ah!"

He was deep in thought, his eyes were closed and he was centred. It had indeed been a stressful week and purging his thoughts was on the top of his list of things to do before going to bed. When he took a deep breath, his sensitive ears picked up something. Something very soft.

When there was only silence, he slowly began to return his mind to that comfortable centre when suddenly, in a very low voice, he heard Amanda calling for him.

When his eyes opened, he was blindsided by a wave of heat and pain in his right side and while he was doubled over in pain for only a moment, he found his way to his feet in a surprising 1.24 seconds.

Something was not right.

His feet brought him at a hurried speed down the hall. He was momentary confused when he saw their bed empty, but when he turned his head to the right and caught the sight of his wife curled in a ball in front of the toilet, her light coloured gown completely drenched in sweat; he rushed over to her, with her fat orange cat kneading her back as if to get her attention he rushed over to her and fell to his knees behind her.

It surprised him when her usually skittish cat simply moved to her feet and plopped down seemingly watching the events unfold unfazed.

She was unresponsive with a small pool of vomit beside her, when he placed his hands on her bare arm and felt just how hot her skin was, it took everything in him not to panic.

Her heart was beating rapidly, so he knew she was still alive. But when he called her name, she did not even stir. Reaching out through their bond, he could feel her distress and immense pain but sensed that she was not unconscious, merely just consumed by the pain. After calling her name four times she still would not respond to him. It was a familiar pain, one that Sarek had only experience three years prior when she was giving birth to Spock, and it suddenly returned.

"Amanda?" He called once more, this time shaking her arm. He could hear the panic in his voice, and while he would normally suppress it, Sarek found himself, in this particular moment, not caring.

"Amanda?" he called once more, this time firmly. "Open your eyes."

When her eyes fluttered open, Sarek let out a low but audible sigh of relief "Sar-" She uttered, but breathing in a sharp breath through her teeth. "Pain…" her voice was so soft and light, if it weren't for his heightened hearing, Sarek knew he wouldn't be able to hear her. Her legs curled closer to her body and soon his wife was curled into a ball, tears of pain springing in the corner of her eyes.

The last thing he wanted to do was inflict more pain on his wife, but he knew they had to go to the hospital and fast. He lifted her off the ground and into his arms, the pain of moving sent only more pain shooting through Amanda's body. Each groan and cry made the pain in Sarek's chest intensify. He fought to control his elevated heart rate and control his breathing. He knew he would be no help to Amanda if he were on the floor.

The commotion of him carrying his groaning wife out of the bedroom had alerted the servants who started to call for an ambulance.

"No." Sarek said, much more assertively than normal. "I will take her. There is no time. Tell Linnea that she is to watch Spock until our return."

"Yes, Ambassador."

Quickly but gently, Sarek placed Amanda into the passenger seat of the hovercar, and got into the driver's seat. There was a moment of more panic when Amanda suddenly became silent, and for a moment Sarek thought that he could not hear her breathing. However, as he was just about to lose all control and impulsively grab her face to preserve her Katra, he realized that she was still alive, and only rendered unconscious from the pain.

Starting the hovercar, he held his right hand in her limp hand and the other on the wheel. As they began to move through the outskirts of Shi'kahr, the air pockets they encountered stirred Amanda awake and her cries turned more into screams of agony as she held her side.

The hospital was fifteen minutes away and it was then that Sarek wished that the pain would render her unconscious again.

She squeezed his right hand hard and tried feverishly to adjust herself in the passenger seat, anything to get some relief from his agony. When they were about to enter the city five minutes later, Sarek looked over and saw Amanda gripping his arm, her head laying on his elbow and laying on her left side facing him. While she was slightly calmer, she was still in crying in agony.

"Amanda, you must remain calm." Sarek said softly.

Hot tears streamed down her cheeks, "I can't!" She cried in a burst of anger. "It hurts! Please take it away, please!"

While her plea confused him it was when she screamed it for the third time that he realized she was asking him to instigate a transfer. Much like they had done when she was pregnant with Spock, when he would meld with her and transfer her erratic and at times unpredictable emotions over to him.

Even though it was a valiant suggestion, Sarek knew that such a thing would not work. Vulcans could do many things humans could not, but they could not take physical pain away… no matter how much they may want to. It surprised him that it pained him to utter to his crying wife,

"I cannot."

Her skin was hot. Boiling. His foot accelerated on the peddle and the hovercar moved faster. The hospital was 7.89 minutes away, and each second began to feel like an eternity for Sarek.

Through her sobs, she continued to beg, plea, but even in the midst of her pain Sarek knew that even she was aware that there was nothing that he could do to give her some relief. And that hurt Sarek. So much so that it became more difficult to ignore the pain in his chest.

Even through the strong waves of calm that he would send her proved to be useless and when she started to hyperventilate from the pain, Sarek said the first thing that popped into his head as he finally pulled into the hospital 5.12 minutes later.

"You must breathe, Amanda."

But she was in too much pain. And so Sarek said nothing and continued to project the strongest waves of calm that he could through their bond hoping it would offer her even the smallest sense of relief as she continued to cry in agony.

When he pulled up to the entrance of the hospital's Emergency Department, he scooped his crying wife into his arms, and rushed through the door. Locking eyes with several pointy eared nurses, he immediately called out in the calmest voice he could manage:

"My wife requires medical assistance immediately."

It was a long night. After a quick scan it was quickly confirmed that Amanda had appendicitis. In order to avoid it rupturing she was immediately rushed into surgery. Sarek waited in a private room, with his hands resting gently on his legs. In between his forefingers he held the silver band that he had presented Amanda almost four years prior.

The ring seemed to burn in between Sarek's fingers. It seemed so wrong for him to be holding it, it should be on Amanda's finger… forever and always.

The pain in his chest was now unbearable and when he was confident that no one was in sight or earshot of the room, he let out several audible deep breaths to calm his elevated heart rate. He thought of a life without her, an unbearable life. He thought of Spock growing up without his mother, and for half a second, he pitied his son.

It was when he was in the process of swearing to Surak that if he lost Amanda tonight that he would never remarry, that the doctor finally emerged from the operating theatre.

Sarek stood to his feet quickly and held his hands in front of him. The human doctor smiled, and gave a small nod, "Would you like to see your wife?"

"Is she alive?" Sarek asked, rather bluntly.

"Of course." the doctor smiled. Extending his arm towards the open door, the doctor escorted Sarek to a private recovery room.

Still sedated from the surgery, her eyes still red and swollen from crying, her cheeks were still stained with streaks from crying; but in her slumber Sarek was grateful at how peaceful she looked.

"It is good that you brought your wife in when you did, Ambassador." the healer said as he held Amanda's chart at the foot of Amanda's bed. "Her appendix would have burst within the hour."

The fact caused Sarek to swallow hard. "What is her prognosis, Doctor?"

"She will make a full recovery. She will be on antibiotics and pain medicine for the next two weeks, but if her fever continues to remain stable and she shows no sign of sepsis than I am confident in releasing her 24 hours time. She should be awake very soon; I think she'll want to see you when she wakes up."

"I express my deepest gratitude, Doctor… Thank you."

The male smiled, scanning Amanda's chart with his PADD he returned it at the end of her bed. "You are most welcome, Ambassador."

Holding up a Ta'al, Sarek reciprocated and watched the Doctor leave the room closing the door behind him.

Sarek took a seat next to his sleeping wife, and took her hand into his. Placing it up to his lips he placed a gentle kiss on her fingers. It occurred to Sarek as he watched his wife for 20.34 minutes just how much he missed her. Her voice. Her softness. Her smile. He missed her smile most of it. The last time he had seen her smile was exactly 144.39 hours ago and just that fact alone made the pain in his chest intensify.

He took several more deep breaths and was in the process of repressing the dreaded thought of her being unhappy married to him when he felt her mind shift out of the sedated sleep. Her eyes fluttered open and met his which caused a wave of relief to rush through him,

"Hi." She uttered softly; her voice groggy with sleep "Thank you." She said, caressing his hand gently with her thumb, "I love you."

There was a moment of silence, as Sarek pressed his lips gently against her forefingers. Remembering her ring, he reached into his robe pocket and gently slid the silver band back on her finger.

"And I you." he responded softly.

A statement that for the first time in 144.40 hours prompted a sleepy but small smile to graze Amanda's lips. He sensed her growing happiness through their bond and through her sleepy eyes, there was a sparkle. The first sparkle he had seen in an equally extended period of time and it was then, upon the beautiful sight of his smiling wife, that the pain in Sarek's chest went away.

~*The End*~

A/N: I would like to thank a couple of people. LieutenantStrawberry, Hagadoe, Dee Firzgerald, and LORETTA for always reading and commenting. If my memory serves correctly, you four were the first ever to comment on my stories as I nervously started to write and post again. While I want to thank everyone for taking the time to read, comment, and post suggestions, honestly, if it weren't for your kind comments in the earlier days, where I was still overwhelmingly nervous posting a new story, I don't know if I would still be posting my stories.

Thank you, thank you, thank you!